Moravian Village center would go on site of former Minsi Trail Inn.

February 09, 2012|By Nicole Radzievich", Of The Morning Call

After winning a prolonged legal battle with another developer, the Moravian Village got the go-ahead Thursday on plans to build an 86-bed assisted-living facility and medical offices at the site of the former Minsi Trail Inn.

City planners voted unanimously to grant conditional approval for the four-story structure that would house services for people with memory loss. Another two-story building would serve as medical offices at 626 Stefko Blvd.

The $20 million project is part of the largest retirement community in Bethlehem. The Moravian Village, at E. Market Street and Stefko Boulevard, includes various accommodations to meet lifestyles of older residents, such as cottages, apartments and a health care center.

David Roth, Moravian Village executive director, said the planners' decision puts his group on pace to begin construction in the summer and have doors open within 18 months.

The latest phase was first pitched in 2007 when the Moravians forged an agreement to buy the shuttered inn and surrounding property. It sought and eventually got zoning relief for the project, but the zoning decision was appealed by developer Abe Atiyeh and Richard Snyder, who owns property near the former inn.

Atiyeh owns the nearby Saucon Valley Manor and once had plans for an assisted-care facility on Center Street, but has denied competition as the motivation for the appeal.

In the appeal, they argued that the Moravians failed to prove a hardship that the land could not be used for light industry, for which it is zoned.

The zoning relief was eventually upheld by the Commonwealth Court; the state Supreme Court refused to hear the case in September, ending the legal fight.

On Thursday, two people raised questions as to whether City Council properly vacated a street. Planners did not address their concerns.